What did 1/11 achieve?
Vendors running for cover. Feb-2007. Photo bdnews24
When in Dhaka, I like to go out for a walk at least once a day — to the tea stall for a cigarette, for a shave, or my favourite, to the local bazaar to witness the invisible hand in action. It’s during such a walk couple of mornings after the coup when I saw the visible hand of the regime. I was in a kacha bazaar in Jasimuddin Road in Uttara when an army platoon arrived and told the vendors to pack up within an hour. A chaos ensued. After the hour was over, with mechanical efficiency, the jawans demolished the thriving market — an illegal establishment — in minutes.
I walked to Jasimuddin Road the other evening and saw the bazaar fully restored.
That bazaar is real, but it can also serve as a symbol of everything else this regime has tried to do. What did 1/11 achieve?
It tried to demolish the bazaar, and the bazaar is back.
It tried to get rid of the netris, they are back.
Talking heads on TV say that ‘politicians have learnt a lesson’ from the anti-corruption drive — churi korar aage doshbar chinta korbe. Well, show me one single conviction that will survive a genuine court of law. In the meantime, my friends in the bureaucracy tell me about ‘risk allowance’ being factored into bribes.
As for the lesson that ‘no one is above the law’, one hears rumours of, but no one dares to write about, the relatives of uniformed folks of all ranks getting away with what we’d call dokhol if they were done by AL-BNP people.
What about the much-touted voter list? Yes, it purged lakhs of false voters. But who cares about the minorities and rural folks who were intimidated by the mere sight of uniforms?
Dear reader, what did 1/11 achieve then?
(I’ll post my thoughts later, but do share yours).
Achievements of 1/11 in 2 years were 100 timers more VALUABLE for the political system of BD, than what politicians did in 15 years. 1/11 was a significant LESSON for politicians, an eye-opener that their crime and corruption are being watched!
1) 1/11 gave politicians a taste of jail, and broke their crimeland dreams.
It awoke Hasina Khaleda’s conscience how bad they were in parliament
2) It gave people hope that there is light at end of corruption tunnel.
3) It increased the intl credibility of Bangladesh – that we dont condone corruption.
4) It increased the army’s credibility as a law enforcer, & political crime buster.
5) future polits will be concerned about jail before landing infinite corruption.
6) It shook up party crimes, and party mismanagement
7) It will shake up future cadres, mastans and criminals
9) It taught politicians how to manage national systems, like ports, banks etc.
10) It shook up police, law and law enforcement for better operations
11) It created beginning of anti-corruption culture, and made it a household word
12) It created watchdogs to keep an eye over govt.
13) It made the media more open to talk about corruption!
I can go on and on. The biggest benefits of 1/11 are socio-political, which were desperately needed to wake up the system and politicians into national dialogue, insted of hiding issues under the rug.
[Reply]
1) 1/11 gave politicians a taste of jail, and broke their crimeland dreams.
- really? how? I mean they go the taste of jail… so what? So you think jail is a machine to convert dreams?
2) It gave people hope that there is light at end of corruption tunnel.
- LOL.
3) It increased the intl credibility of Bangladesh – that we dont condone corruption.
- Really? double LOL.
4) It increased the army’s credibility as a law enforcer, & political crime buster.
- hahahahahahahaha.
5) future polits will be concerned about jail before landing infinite corruption.
-hmmm… you are funny.
6) It shook up party crimes, and party mismanagement
- aha… of course it did. lol
7) It will shake up future cadres, mastans and criminals
- oookkkk….another Kgazi comment.
8)It awoke Hasina Khaleda’s conscience how bad they were in parliament
- ahahahahahahahahahaha.
9) It taught politicians how to manage national systems, like ports, banks etc.
- They were in jail… you think they got briefing from your beloved army people on regular basis on how to manage these national systems? And yea… army people know how to manage banks… and FAKU was not BB head during Khaleda’s rule.
10) It shook up police, law and law enforcement for better operations
- perfect Kgazi comment.
11) It created beginning of anti-corruption culture, and made it a household word
- sure.
12) It created watchdogs to keep an eye over govt.
- and that is….
13) It made the media more open to talk about corruption!
- ahahahahahahahaha….
[Reply]
1. It improved Bangladesh’s ranking on the Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International.
2. Separation of Judiciary.
[Reply]
making it clearer to people that theres something decidedly odd about this ‘cicil society’ concept.
some rule changes, the effects of which will take a while to realise.
greater power to the bureacracy.
it gave a chance to people who thought they may do a better job, to have a go.
lowered the international status of the two leaders.
postponed the 1st Bangladeshi civil war.
[Reply]
It saved us from a potentially disastrous election in Jan 2007, and it will likely lead to a reasonably free/fair election in Dec 2008; the voter roll will hopefully reduce the level of electoral fraud; if we have UZ elections, it will lead to a certain amount of power decentralization.
[Reply]
hi there,
1/11 has been a boon especially insofar as the formation of; EC,ID,Voter List with Photos,indepemdence of the Judiciary etc.., etc..,
Nevertheless, the greates achievement of 1/11 or the EC is the exposure of Khaleda Zia’s “self-educated” aspect. I personally feel that, the scourge of the self-education or illiteracy is the root cause of drop-out syndromes of her sons and the resultant mafia scale of corruption indulge by her aforesaid 2 scourges!!!
For those critisizing Khaleda for her last minute availing for Voter Registration syndrome conveniently forgets that, such callous exposures/admission of self-educated status is best delayed till perpetuity!!!
With warmest rgds
sljamal.
[Reply]
Well, seems a lot of “achievements”…..but at what cost? Was it “worth” it? Are we going to be in this un-ending cycle of democracy-non-democracy-democracy again? Are we ever going to give time to the democratic process to correct itself?
[Reply]